The trial of Yorgen Fenech, one of Malta’s wealthiest businessmen, has begun in Valletta. He is accused of organizing the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017.
According to the indictment read out in court, Fenech allegedly commissioned the murder for €150,000 from three hitmen, asking a middleman to find people to carry out the attack. He denies the charges and pleaded not guilty. He faces charges of complicity in premeditated murder and participation in a conspiracy to commit a crime.
Caruana Galizia was killed on October 16, 2017, when a bomb planted under the driver’s seat of her car exploded near her home. She was one of Malta’s best-known journalists, investigating cases involving corruption, political figures, and business interests. According to the indictment, Fenech allegedly said he wanted the journalist dead because she was preparing to publish a report about his uncle.
The EU journalism prize bears her name and is awarded every year around October 16, the anniversary of her murder.
Fenech was arrested in 2019 and remained in pre-trial detention until February. He is the last of the seven men accused of involvement in the murder to be brought to trial. Five have already been convicted, while one was granted a pardon in exchange for his testimony.
The case triggered a political and constitutional crisis in Malta, threatening to bring down the government. The then prime minister, Joseph Muscat, resigned shortly after Fenech’s arrest, in December 2019.
Source: Guardian
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